I am very in to sound designing these days.  In my Sound and Image class, I created and designed the sounds of Chris Cunningham’s Rubber Johnny for one of the assignments in which I tried to create a disturbing athmosphere. I consider myself as a good listener and appreciator, if there is such a word:), of music however I had never tried sound design before I started my masters in VACD. I used to play around in Garage Band of my mac and tried mixing but this one is literally my first sound design work. I really liked playing with loops and creating sounds and effects for movies so this one will obviously not be the last.

Now I decided to work on the Modern Times of Charlie Chaplin for my term project .

So, here is my sound version of Rubber Johnny of Chris Cunningham;

Only something that really appeals as an art form to people of my generation, slightly older, is the music video.  A bit pointless in concept the execution these days is pretty much on par, useless “performance” and fashion videos put out by the likes of Rihanna or whoever else is “good” these days.  Better are some artists, creating videos of such quality and concept they’re sometimes better than the songs themselves, or even the artist themselves.  In this issue of Dig, Dug, Damn! you reap the rewards of my deep digging, bringing you what I feel to be the top 25 music videos of all time (in random order).  Then, after, I post some follow-up videos that didn’t make the list (I’m only posting a single video by a band, so some artists would otherwise have multiple entries).  Let’s rock!

Artist: Stabbing Westward Song: Shame

This was one of the most simple decisions on the whole list.  The video has everything from band performance to a virtual breaking of the 4th wall, and the story itself is very devious and fun, tying perfectly into the lyrics.  I love the concept so much, and for when it came out, it’s really ground breaking.  (Directed by Paul Cunningham)

Artist: Michael Jackson Song: Thriller

I’d say something about the video but everything in the world that could be said has already been said, and recently.  (Directed by murderer John Landis)

Artist: The Smashing Pumpkins Song: Tonight, Tonight

This is an obligatory selection, and obviously so.  Directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, later of Little Miss Sunshine fame, and based on the classic 1902 film Le Voyage Dans la Lune by Georges Méliès, the video is a technological masterpiece and a simplistic dream come true shot entirely with backdrops and a stationary cameras.  PS: The Smashing Pumpkins are my favorite band ever.

Artist: A-Ha Song: Take On Me

Ripped from the pages of history, this video is every bit successful as it is ambitious, every bit amazing as it is a delight to watch.  The story fit with the song, the animation was excellent, and it should be immediately apparent why this is hailed as one of the best by most every source you can find on the topic.  (Directed by Steve Barron)

Artist: New Order Song: True Faith

An old favorite of mine, New Order are every bit as fresh as ever, and this video was amazing to me as a child.  Honestly, it’s even more intriguing to me now with the strange, almost metaphoric performance art going on all throughout, mostly rhythmically.  If that doesn’t sell you on watching I don’t know what will.  (Directed by Philippe Decouflé)

Artist: Björk Song: Bachelorette

One name: Michel Gondry.  The director of films such as Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind and The Science of Sleep has a way with visuals that is almost like being a puppeteer of humans and a painter of theatrics.  He’s directed many great videos, especially for Björk, and I feel this is the broadest and most impressive of her bunch.  His work appears numerous times on this list.

Artist: Eric Prydz Song: Call On Me

Steve Winwood never sounded so good (probably because he rerecorded his vocals for the Sweedish DJ and producer), and music videos have never been so sexy.  Eric Prydz hit a high note with the song, and director Huse Monfaradi hit all the correct notes with the visual, making something fun, energetic, and envelope pushing.  I mean, former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair has gone on record about it, that’s how scandalous it is.  Oh, and just so you know, I really like the red head in the black and yellow top (barely shown) and the blond (pink top) PS: The video has a sequel that is also awesome, which is near the very bottom of this post.

Artist: Aphex Twin Song: Windowlicker

One of the longest, funniest, sexiest, scariest, and strangest music videos ever.  And quite offensive too, first harshly mocking rap and hip-hop culture then paying homage to Michael Jackson and David Lee Roth’s “California Girls”.  I don’t recommend watching this for the first time if you’re intoxicated in any way.  Or is it the other way around?  (Directed by Chris Cunningham)

Artist: Weezer Song: Buddy Holly

As if it needs saying, Spike Jonze is a brilliant man.  This video was a favorite in my teens for the retro motif in visuals and lyrics, the fun and boppy nature of it all, and for being such a seamless insertion into, of all things, Happy Days.  The Fonz makes everything cooler.

Artist: The Foo Fighters Song: Everlong

Michel Gondry, again, makes an entry on this list, this time with vanilla flavored musical act The Foo Fighters, in what is one of their best songs and, by far, their best video.  The video makes little to no sense, like, what kind of drugs were they on, why the huge hand, why two men in an implied heterosexual relationship, where did the nunchucks appear from?  The list goes on, but it’s such an awesome video regardless.

Artist: God Lives Underwater Song: From Your Mouth

This is probably the only video on the list that will make you hungry.  I didn’t think about that when I chose it, but now it’s extra earned it’s spot because these things don’t usually inspire the munchies.  I very much enjoy some God Lives Underwater so when the video was released I didn’t need any additional info.  I didn’t know how great it’d be, watching an Asian attack a personal buffet in reverse, then having the band there, just looking cool and stuff.  If I were in a band I’d do a similar gimmick.  (Directed by Roman Coppola)

Artist: Röyksopp Song: Remind Me

It’s kinda scary how well the song and video go together, the main chorus and the beautiful and simplistic dissection of every day life.  Like being reminded, it’s the most basic component of a complex machine or system that becomes glaring, and multiple viewings of this video will prove different each time, different aspects of the animation and the items within standing out, a mathematical equation, almost, proving the lyrics true.  (Directed by H5)

Artist: Toni Basil Song: Hey Mickey

Directed and choreographed by who is in my eyes the original riotgrrrl, Toni Basil herself, the song is infectious and the video is iconic with the plain faced, average bodied cheerleaders and an incredibly upbeat tune for a song that is basically a huge middle finger to the titular Mickey.  I’m not going to lie to you- I find the video sexy, and I find old school Toni one of the most delicious curiosities ever.

Artist: No Doubt Song: New

While it’s not particularly deep or telling, No Doubt’s video for their entry on the Go soundtrack is one of the best “party” atmosphere videos ever.  I do prefer more difficult concepts as a starting point, but it sometimes says something in not being slightly new or different but in taking something as old as dust and improving upon it, breathing a new life into something established.  Gwen Stefani looked awesome as hell here, too.  (Directed by Jake Scott)

Artist: Skinny Puppy Song: Pro-Test

This was a struggle to pick for the list as there are lots of greats out there, but, like the Aphex Twin entry, this takes stereotypes and stands them on their heads, and I’m a huge fan of both stereotypes and standing them on their heads.  The concept is simple, the dance moves are, for all practical purposes, impossible, and message is clear: People dressing differently than you doesn’t mean they don’t have the same, exact interests.  (Directed by William Morrison)

Artist: The Cardigans Song: My Favorite Game

This video puts a smile on my face, and for more reasons than Nina Persson and her many exquisite qualities.  The song is great and the devil may care attitude of the video is refreshing, all others being about caring bunches and tons.  The humor is unexpected, as is the rock, car crashes, and crumpled bodies, and I don’t care who you are or what your name is, those things inspire a chuckle or two.  (Directed by Jonas Akerlund)

Artist: The Prodigy Song: Smack My Bitch Up

Like the last video this one is directed by Jonas Akerlund, but is the much more disturbed older sister with truly no concept of sanity or safety.  It took a a risk with the disgusting nature, first person POV, and quick, manic cuts, but the song matching intensity, vivid colors, and phenomenal twist at the end send this vid to the stratosphere, and does so with a APB out on it and a sexy, sexy partner in the bed with it.

Artist: Pat Benatar Song: Love Is A Battlefield

Another classic video, another I first became acquainted with as a child (I would only ever watch Nickelodeon and MTV) and loved for the story telling aspect mixed with the obvious cheese that comes with being from the year 1984, which creates a teen angst rock opera so irresistible you’ll want to shake your cans at a scummy pimp the next time you see one.  (Directed by Bob Giraldi)

Artist: Fiona Apple Song: Criminal

Scandalous for no reason other than low amounts of brain activity in the general public, what is actually just a sensual and cool video had an unrequested but welcome intensity tacked on it, and though being good a great video does not make, add Fiona herself with the sultry vocals and fantastic song (the whole album is killer) debuting herself to the world, and yes, this video is tops.  PS: I’d like to exhaust her with my sex.  (Directed by Mark Romanek)

Artist: Metronomy Song: A Thing For Me

How did it take so long for this to happen?  Yes, put the lyrics on screen.  Yes, help us keep rhythm.  Yes, make visual jokes with it.  I adore this video, the cute girls in the video, the clever shots, the awesome song, and everything about it.  I’m not too hot on much else the band has done, but like how it takes only 1 thing to tear something down, it sometimes takes only 1 thing to build something up.  (Directed by Megaforce)

Artist: Yeah Yeah Yeahs Song: Maps

A real work of art, director Patrick Daughters did the smartest thing humanly possible for a struggling band, and that is make the most basic video possible while still being visually interesting.  No special effects, no random story, no quick cuts to make the band look as cool as possible, nothing!  It is just 2 dudes and a chick on a stage, playing a song.  They’re not even moving around erratically or trying to be fashionable with their instruments, because it’s always easier to add than it is to take away, and where the simple  nature of the video leaves the song bum rushes in and really paints the canvas here.

Artist: Kissing Tigers Song: So Stay In Love

I would honestly be shocked if anyone reading this has ever seen this video, or even heard of the band for that matter!  Well, they’re an excellent band and the video is endearing and adorable and yes, it’s great.  The reveal at the end is awesome, I think, and while it’s not the first time a band has made a cameo in their video by playing a show at some juncture in the tale, I think this video took a budget and got 5x the quality as another band or director would have.  (Directed by Jeycob Carlson)

Artist: DJ Shadow Song: Six Days

Beautiful, seductive, and trippy, this video is more than just a sampler of director Wong Kar Wai’s prowess.  In fact, this is probably the only video on the list that could be swapped out for another, because the lyrics of the song wrapped in the “Love Is A Battlefield” visuals lends quite well to Pat Benatar.  Really, though, what a gorgoeous and fitting motif for the song, and my how lovely everything looks!  Also, Bruce Lee quotes?  Yes.

Artist: Lisa Loeb Song: Stay (I Missed You)

The face, the body, the glasses!  Yeah, my main girl Lisa may seem like a pop culture blip on many less discerning radars out there, but in reality she is an amazing performer second to her being an amazing song writer.  This video in it’s single shot brilliance feels more like a diary entry than an invitation inside the desolate apartment, but once there the end result is the same- you’re smitten as hell, and happy to be so.  (Directed by Ethan Hawke)

Artist: Jamiroquai Song: Virtual Insanity

“What the h. is wrong with you?!” I ask anyone who doesn’t think this video is as amazing and groundbreaking as it obviously is.  I mean, maybe you don’t like the song, okay, but the technology of the room being walked about is both deceptively simple and stunningly pretty, and at the core of things that’s really what you want in the visual companion to a piece called “Virtual Insanity”.  I know I’m not wrong.  “Ground breaking” is the first two words I’d use, and my third would be “Jealous!”  (Directed by Jonathan Glazer )

Now, without any further ado, the videos that, in spirit, also made the list.

Artist: The Smashing Pumpkins Song: 1979

(Be sure to also check out the sequel video, Perfect)

Artist: The Smashing Pumpkins Song: Ava Adore

Artist: The Hughes Corporation Song: What A Feeling

(This is the sequel to the Eric Prydz video above)

Artist: Yeah Yeah Yeahs Song: Y Control

Artist:  Björk Song: Hyperballad

Artist:  Björk Song: All Is Full Of Love

SynopsisJohnny is a hyperactive, shape-shifting mutant child, kept locked away in a basement. With only his feverish imagination and his terrified dog for company, he finds ways to amuse himself in the dark.Rubber Johnny is the latest creation from the UK’s most imaginative filmmaker, Chris Cunningham. Featuring music by legendary electronic composer, Aphex Twin, this nightmarish and hallucinatory experimental short film is accompanied by 40 pages of drawings and photographs – Cunningham’s first published book of original artwork.

Biography

Chris Cunningham – one of the most influential filmmakers of the last decade – has been at the forefront of innovation and an inspiration for technological boundary-breaking world wide.Cunningham first forged his relationship with Warp Records in 1995 with his debut promo “Second Bad Vibel” for Autechre, and since has directed a score of mind-bending videos for the likes of Squarepusher, Bjork, Madonna, Portishead and most memorably, Aphex Twin.The creepily hilarious “Come to Daddy” (1997) and bootilicious “Windowlicker” (1999) Aphex videos have both been showered with accolades, but deemed too darkside for daytime MTV. However, his delicate hand on Bjork’s “All is Full of Love” (1999) sensual, milky robot promo won him the best breakthrough video MTV award and a Grammy nomination, as well as 4 silvers and the first ever Gold Award for a music video at the Design And Art Direction Awards.Cunningham’s film making successes followed on from an accomplished career in feature films. He learnt his craft as an FX sculptor, designer and engineer on numerous feature films, which included working for David Fincher, Clive Barker and Stanley Kubrick.In 2000, Cunningham created a video art installation “flex” for the Royal Academy of Art’s Apocalypse exhibition. His next two short films with Warp Films, “Rubber Johnny” and “Spectral Musicians” are scheduled for release on DVD in 2005.With much anticipation from his legion of fans, Cunningham is finally turning his attention to feature films and is currently developing a feature length script with Warp Films.

Dracula Has Risen from the Grave is a 1968 British horror film directed by Freddie Francis for Hammer Films. It stars Christopher Lee as Count Dracula, with support from Rupert Davies, Veronica Carlson, Barry Andrews, Barbara Ewing, Ewan Hooper and Michael Ripper.

The world of the film is arguably far darker and more ambiguous than the world created by director Terence Fisher for the previous three films in the Dracula series.

Dracula Has Risen from the Grave is the Sequel to “Prince of Darkness” (1966).

Veronica Carlson and Christopher Lee

Directed by Freddie Francis

Writer – John Elder

Producer – Aida Young 

Cast
  Christopher Lee … Dracula
  Rupert Davies … Monsignor Ernest Mueller
  Veronica Carlson … Maria Mueller
  Barbara Ewing … Zena
  Barry Andrews … Paul
  Ewan Hooper … Priest
  Marion Mathie … Anna Mueller
  Michael Ripper … Max
  John D. Collins … Student
  George A. Cooper … Landlord
  Chris Cunningham … Farmer
  Norman Bacon … Mute Boy
 
 The Story: (Spoiler Alert!!)

A year has passed since the demise of Dracula, buried under the ice in the river that flows past his castle. Ernst Mueller [Rupert Davies], monsignor of the monastery at Kleinberg, has decided to visit the village to see that all is well. What he finds is appalling. The village priest [Ewan Hooper] has become an alcoholic. The villagers will not attend Sunday Mass because the shadow of Dracula’s castle touches the church during the evening hours. The Monsignor decides to exorcise the castle and prove to the villagers that the evil is gone. He and the priest climb the hill to the castle, but the priest chickens out halfway. The Monsignor continues alone to the castle door where he performs his exorcism and seals the castle door with a large cross. The priest, in the meantime, is taking swigs from his hipflask. He stumbles over a cliff, cuts his head, lands on the river ice, causing it to crack open just above Dracula’s body. The priest’s blood drips through the cracked ice, flowing into Dracula’s mouth, and Dracula is thus resurrected.

Veronica Carlson

Barred from his castle by the cross on the door, Dracula [Christopher Lee] must now find other lodgings. He enslaves the priest, forcing him to dig up a new coffin for him. He also forces him to reveal who is responsible for the exorcism. The coffin is loaded onto a funeral coach, and the priest and Dracula head toward Kleinberg. His exorcism finished, the Monsignor also returns to Kleinberg where he lives with his brother’s widow Anna [Marion Mathe] and his niece Maria [Veronica Carlson]. It is Maria’s birthday, and a dinner party is planned for her. Tonight, Maria will introduce her boyfriend Paul [Barry Anderson], who she has been climbing over the rooftops to meet secretly) to her family. Paul works as a baker at the Johann Cafe and engages in scholarly studies during his spare time. Scared to meet Maria’s family for the first time, Paul’s plight is not helped when his friends at the cafe spill beer down his shirt. Still, all goes well at the dinner until Paul, in a fit of truthfulness, admits to the Monsignor that he is an atheist. Paul returns to the cafe, downs 3 glasses of Schnapps, and passes out. The waitress Xena [Barbara Ewing] carries him up to bed just as Maria enters through a window.

On her way home, Xena is attacked by Dracula. With Xena’s help, Dracula and his coffin are moved into a storage room in the cafe cellar, and the priest takes a room at the cafe. The next evening, when Maria drops by the cafe to see Paul, Xena leads her into the bakery, covers her head with a bag, and takes her to see Dracula. Maria escapes, however, when Paul comes looking for her, and she tells of being attacked by a man “with burning eyes.” Angry at the failed attempt, Dracula kills Xena and orders the priest to destroy her in the furnace fire. Later that night, Dracula comes to Maria’s bedside and drinks from her. He returns the next night but, just as he prepares to drink from her, the Monsignor enters the room. Dracula sees the cross in the Monsignor’s hand and leaps from the window. The Monsignor attempts to follow but is knocked out by the priest. As the Monsignor lies dying, he sends for Paul and tells him what he must do to save Maria. Paul finds Dracula’s coffin and drives a stake through his heart but, because neither he nor the priest can pray to God, Dracula succeeds in removing the stake. He escapes, summons Maria and, together with the priest, they return to Dracula’s castle. Paul gets a horse and follows.

Upon reaching the castle, Dracula forces Maria to remove the cross from the castle door. As she throws it down the cliff, Paul arrives. He and Dracula battle. They both fall off the porch. Paul catches a branch on the way down but Dracula falls to the ground where he is impaled upon the cross just tossed away by Maria. As the priest recites the Pater Noster, Dracula turns to dust.

Production Info:

This was the first of the Hammer Dracula films to be shot at Elstree Studios in London. Notably missing are the approach road, coach path and moat seen in front of Castle Dracula in 1958’s Dracula and 1966’s Dracula: Prince of Darkness. Those films were made at Bray Studios.

The film was photographed by Arthur Grant using colored filters belonging to director Freddie Francis, also a cameraman by trade, who used them when photographing The Innocents (1961). Whenever Dracula (or his castle) is in a scene, the frame edges are tinged crimson, amber and yellow.

In Australia, the film was the first Hammer Dracula to be passed by the censors; the previous films Dracula (1958) and Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966) were banned. The film was slightly censored and ran for a three-week season at Sydney’s Capitol theatre in January 1970. In the US, the film was rated G. ……… Source(s) IMDB, Wikipedia

Amazon Specials!

Una dollfie de Domadoll, en la kedada del sábado en Madrid

Anuncio de Playstation 1, por Chris Cunningham

One of the most disturbing (music?) videos currently circulating youtube. Although this video has been around for almost 5 years, I still find it terrifying.

But perhaps the video is not as terrifying as this photograph of the beloved “Johnny” whose archived footage (taken by an unknown director of him living in the basement of his adopted parents home with his Chihuahua) was used in the making of this Aphex Twin music video:

Rubber Johnny

That’s right Bataleon (purveyors of TBT and the best snowboards in the world) have signed half-English-half-French snowboard prodicgy Chris Cunningham to their pro-team! Chris will add Bataleon to his list of sponsors that already includes Eleven outerwear, Grenade and Neff. Yeah for it Chris!

Read more about chris and TBT at: www.bataleonsnowboards.com or buy online here: http://www.attlasnowboards.com/shop/Bataleon.html

Uma das páginas da Marie Claire US de outubro é um ad de Flora by Gucci, borrifado de perfume, pra induzir a gente a gastar dinheiro. Não sou chegada em perfumes florais (o que esse obviamente deve ser), mas quando abri o flap da página achei maravilhoso o cheirinho que senti ali, e não paro de abrir a revista pra sentir — quando eu gosto de alguma coisa, fico meio chata… e eu gostei tanto que virou até header nova do blog.

O rosto é a modelo australiana Abbey Lee, que nos ads fotografados por Inez & Vinoodh veste uma longa túnica de seda com a estampa floral icônica da Gucci, revisitada em preto e branco pela diretora criativa da marca, Frida Giannini. O público alvo é uma princesa moderna, e a fragrância é (em teoria) um floral espontâneo, mas sofisticado; sutil embora sensual.

A cereja do bolo é o vídeo acima: o comercial de Flora. Gravado na Latvia por Chris Cunningham, o vento dá vida a mais de 40 mil flores (de mentirinha, é claro) em torno de Abbey, que também dança ao som de uma versão remixada de “I Feel Love,” de Donna Summer. Lindo.

O behind the scenes do comercial é um show à parte, vale assistir também. Enfim, já deu pra perceber que tô amando o conceito do perfume né? Flora já entrou pra minha wishlist! Só espero que na real life seja tão bom quanto na página da revista…

So guys and gals it’s that time of year again! You know the time where you give sweets to kids? Or you get some nicely cracked Tesco’s economy eggs in your face. (That’s if you’re lucky, I know someone who actually had some sort of excrement rubbed across their door, eww wrong wrong wrong!)

So, I thought who better to feature in on our Halloween run up than the masters of the dark, Chris Cunningham and David D James (otherwise known as Aphex Twin). And when I say masters I truly mean masters, when these two collaborate it’s like we little humans are treated to a little taster of what the burning ashes of Damien’s lare would look like.

Rubber Johnny had pretty much the same effect on me as Requiem for a Dream did when i first watched it, (it put my mind in one of the darkest places it’s ever been) and i will never ever be able to look at a chihuahua the same way again.

“The concept for Rubber Johnny came from Cunningham’s imagining a raver morphing as he danced. The idea evolved to the present film, in which Johnny (played by Cunningham) is an isolated deformed (possibly hydrocephalus) teenager kept on a wheelchair and locked in a dark basement with his chihuahua”. (Wikipedia)

And as for Come to Daddy, well little Aphex Twins in girls school uniforms, running around screaming at ladies so old they have boobs for knees, need i say more…?

Maxwinnipeg

Here’s the video for one of my favourite artists (and my favourite of his tracks) Aphex Twin ‘Come to Daddy’.

And here is SquarePusher ‘Come on my Selector’

(Both videos by Chris Cunningham , you really should check out more of Chris’ work!!!)

WARP RECORDS IS 20 YEARS OLD

things to be happy about…it’s hard to dislike anything that Warp produces, so I don’t. A constant source of supreme quality electronica and indie for two decades and a caustic window into the minds of some very creative musicians, designers and filmmakers.

Shane Meadow’s new film Le Donk and Scor-zay-zee

Warp20…the greatest record label in Sheffield…from Aphex Twin to Autechre to !!! to Squarepusher…to Plaid…to…Board of Canada…like theese

and Chris Cunningham (Do not watch if you are Ronan Keating..it’ll only make you worse)

the souvenir box set is out now on bleep

es so cool

A estas alturas es díficil el presentar a Chris Cunningham, aunque tampoco tengo la intención de hacerlo. Es mas bién resumir y mostrar mi devoción a su obra lo que intento y es que siempre he tenido un gusanillo por su obra.

“36 Degrees” by Placebo (1996)

Su videos siempre están impregnados de un aura tenebroso, un poco asqueroso y casi provocando la repulsión ante las imágenes que muestra, pero como casi siempre hay algo mas. Ese es su sello, muchos se acercan a su estilo pero en casi todos los casos ni tan siquiera mellan la superficie (vease Korn).

“Come on my Selector” by Squarepusher (1998)

Está bastante claro que no es el único director de videos músicales del mundo y que con los años han ido apareciendo mas y mas directores merecedores de dignos de una mención especial: Spike Jonze, Michel Gondry, Jonas Akerlund… y por supuesto cada uno de ellos tiene su marca de identidad, pero ninguno hizo que escuchasemos a Björk mientras en nuestras cabezas dos robots se daban el lote además de soltar fluidos corporales…

“All is full of love” by Björk (1998)

… Y ya por no hablar de hacernos ver que nuestra sociedad, muchas veces, se reduce a cuerpos “perfectos”.

“Windowlicker” by Aphex Twin (1999)

It’s been 10 years after the release of Björk’s “All is Full of Love” (directed by Chris Cunningham) and it’s still one of my favourite videos. I love the milky smooth texture of the robots vs the black inner machinery and the sparks caused by the machines that are assembling them. Apart from the beautiful imagery, I also like the message of the video very much: Everything “melts” through the power of love, even cold and seemingly lifeless robots. Apparently the robots were sculpted from clay and not from plastic or metal.
It’s the white and black bone china, the smooth shapes and the metal parts in these ceramic suspension lamps by Jeremy Cole that remind me of the video. Enjoy!

Aloe Noir by Jeremy Cole

Aloe Blossom
interior design by Kate Hume

Aloe Shoot
interior design by Kate Hume

 All is Full of Love – Björk

Directed by Chris Cunningham

Valió la pena la espera? Totalmente. Aunque bien lejos de mi casa, estrenaron por fin Be Kind Rewind, la última peli de Michel Gondry. Peli que absurdamente fue estrenada el 25 de enero del 2008 en Sundance y que tan sólo después de veinte meses por fin los discapacitados distribuidores colombianos se atrevieron a traerla. Muchos amigos míos ya la habían visto en DVD, pero yo quise esperar a verla en salas aunque casi desespero y hace un par de semanas en la tienda de video de unos amigos casi la alquilo. Menos mal no. Recomendada para verse ciento por ciento en cine.

Es una peli romántica, amante del cine, amante de los nostálgicos así estos sean amantes del gran enemigo del cine: El VHS, siempre y cuando se le reconozca que gracias a estos videos caseros el cine se volcó hacia el usuario y le fue accesible la producción de pelis, que al final es la quintaesencia de esta peli: No hay mejores pelis que las que uno hace.

No se cuántos de los que fueron a ver la peli, antes ya habían visto el paquete de directores en DVD, donde aparecen Chris Cunningham, Spike Jonze y Michel Gondry pero fue allí donde me vine a enterar que Gondry era músico y mago. Una rara combinación que ilumina de alguna forma cómo es que Gondry resuelve sus retos y como es que su estética es un poco muy lúdica y pedagógica; como un mago de fiesta de cumpleaños de niños. Tal vez lo más bonito de esta peli es eso, descubrir que el man hizo una peli de cómo el hace una peli, de cómo el se imagina las narraciones, de cómo improvisa para meterle nuevos elementos a sus producciones y de cómo es un niño chiquito con una cámara de cine en su hombro.

Y es que sólo hasta que vi el DVD de los directores me vine a enterar que Gondry era músico y mago e iluminar de cierta forma cómo es que el resuelve los retos de cada producción pero también lo impresionante es que por esa misma calidad se siente esa escencia de lúdica y magia en cada cosa que el hace. Un mago de esos cumpleaños ochenteros donde hay un bajísimo prespuesto pero de alguna forma tiene encantado a su público. Ese es el resumen de esta encantadora y emotiva peli, un acto de magia de una genial recursividad y aunque de un presupuesto considerable con todas las características primordiales de una serie b.

No importa que Jack Black sea siempre Jack Black, no importa que los actores naturales sean muy malos actores, no importa que Mos Def, Danny Glover y Mia Farrow actúen como si estuvieran en un ensayo teatral. Tal vez la única que ligra una actuación medianamente regular es Sigourney Weaver pero hace el papel de mala, entonces una la odia, pero sólo la odia hasta la final de la peli, después uno la vuelve a querer por ser ella. Es una obra maestra. Debo decirlo, para ser honestos con ustedes yo salí detestando a Gondry y su La Science des Rêves y de alguna forma dije, Gondry es un genio para los videos de Björk o para los videos de Oui Oui, The Chemical Brothers, The White Stripes, pero para los largos, las pelis debía tener un socio como Charlie Kaufman, aquel Kaufman que le brindó esa sociedad magnífica para lograr Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind que en 2004 les valió un Oscar de La Academia como mejor guión original.

Esta peli, la historia de dos amigos, soñadores, bohemios y amantes de las historias que Elroy Fletcher el personaje que interpreta Danny Glover, estos dos personajes melomanos de Fats Weller, estos dos personajes llenos de ternura y gracia me hicieron reír mucho. Me atrevo a inventarme un nuevo género para esta peli, porque no es una simple comedia, tiene que ver con cine de autor, si, pero es más que eso es una Comedia Épica, una comedia de magnánimas proporciones. Una peli que devolvió a Gondry a un puesto que había perdido años atrás en mi escalafón personal.

Muy buena peli.

Muy recomendada para los amantes del cine.

De vez en cuando, hay notas para destacar para esta peli la genialidad es tan basta que no se por donde siquiera empezar con esas notas.

El término “sweded” se acotó popularmente después de la peli de Gondry a las parodias que se hacían de muchas pelis. En la peli se usa el término para explicar que las pelis eran traídas desde Suecia, que por eso se demoraban tanto y que por eso eran tan costosas en alquiler pero verdaderamente era una excusa para rehacerla y que no se notara su pérdida. Si uno revisa juicioso, se encuentra en YouTube.com muchos videos de este porte. Algunas son bastante entretenidas otras son basura. Gondry hizo una cosa maravillosa para el sitio promocional de la peli y es que montó todos sus swedes y se podían ver enLínea a continuación rescato dos de ellos:

.

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La otra nota divertida es la música de esta peli, ecléctica, sencilla pero con mucho sentimiento:

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01. “Your Feets Too Big” – Mos Def y Jean-Michel Bernard

02. “Nothing From Nothing” – Billy Preston

03. “I Ain’t Got Nobody” – Jean-Michel Bernard

04. “Jerry’s Sweded Ghost Song” – Jack Black

05. “Microwaves – Jean-Michel Bernard

06. “Train Station” – Jean-Michel Bernard

07. “I Ain’t Got Nobody” – Booker T. Jones, Steve Cropper, Donald “Duck” Dunn y Michel Gondry

08. “Keep Jerry Our“- Jean-Michel Bernard

09. “Little Mikey“- Jean-Michel Bernard

10. “I’m Bill“- Jean-Michel Bernard

11. “Lulu’s Back In Town” – Jean Michel Bernard y The Passaic High School Marching Band

12. “Chinese Bamboo“- Jean-Michel Bernard

13. “Magnetic“- Jean-Michel Bernard

14. “The Animated Lion“- Jean-Michel Bernard

15. “I Ain’t Got Nobody” – Mos Def, Jean-Michel Bernard y Michel Gondry

16. “Robot Karate“- Jean-Michel Bernard

17. “Daisy’s Drive“- Jean-Michel Bernard

18. “Plan“- Jean-Michel Bernard

19. “Blind Test“- Jean-Michel Bernard

20. “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” – Fats Waller

21. “Mike Has An Idea“- Jean-Michel Bernard

22. “DVD Break In“- Jean-Michel Bernard

23. “Sunny Monday” – Booker T y the MGs

24. “Ain’t Misbehavin‘” – Mos Def y Jean-Michel Bernard

25. “Solitude” – Jean-Michel Bernard

26. “Lulu’s Back In Town” – Booker T. Jones, Steve Cropper, Donald “Duck” Dunn y Michel Gondry

27. “Your Feets Too Big” – Fats Waller

28. “Mr. Fletcher’s Song” – Jean-Michel Bernard y Moe Holmes

]]> http://choppingboard.wordpress.com/2009/09/15/the-ten-best-music-videos-in-the-world-ever/ Tue, 15 Sep 2009 20:54:01 +0000 Gnagno http://choppingboard.wordpress.com/2009/09/15/the-ten-best-music-videos-in-the-world-ever/

Lists are funny things.

Lists, to men, are like catnip to cats. We can’t resist them. It doesn’t matter what it is, we’ll create a list for it. It’s our anally retentive side coming into play; we like to know everything has its place. Most men I think can name their favourite albums, movies (and perhaps girlfriends) in a specific order since we’ve had every waking day to think about it.

When we forget to take the rubbish out, or wash up, it’s probably because we’re making a mental list of something (boring household chores perhaps…)

Lists are also endlessly used in television.

No doubt you will have sat through the Top 100 Singles of All Time, Your Favourite Films Ever or Top 100 Celebrity Sex Scandals – all the cheapest of TV formats and laziest of concepts, which is why they usually end up on satellite channels you’d rarely watch otherwise. They bring out the same D- and C-list celebrities (who’d turn up to the opening of a Coke can) to sit in front of a brightly-coloured animated backdrop – similar in style to a Lava Lamp – and then talk about an event/film/album/song/person the producer had reminded them about a few minutes earlier was such an important part in their life. The better celebrities may retell an amusing anecdote; most will resort to just laughing about nothing (the more they laugh, the more we’ll notice their smug faces while we’re drifting off to sleep) and talking bullshit.

“Oh yeah – haha – this one time my brother and me were – haha – were listening to this Queen song and doing that thing they do in Wayne’s World – haha – and – haha – my brother hit his head on the window of the car! Haha (remember me from that obscure show five years ago?… No?…I was great, honest…)“

However – and the producers of these shows know it – there’s something strangely addictive about them. Even if you get the most irritating celebrity most of all; stitching all the segments together with a witty thing to say before and after each advert break.

One of the worst example of this was probably David Gest (winner of I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here!) presenting the 100 Best Michael Jackson Songs (or something). It was an old show, repeated especially for the death of MJ. The embarrassing links provided by Mr. Gest reached their apex when he announced something along the lines of “You’ll live forever, Michael – you’re the best!”. David? I’m Embarrassed, Get Me Out Of Here!

Blogs also use this format. It’s a sure-fire way of getting people looking at your blog – people love lists remember!

So, all this being said, for the sake of both selfish amusement and the irony of my last paragraph, I’m going to resort to a list myself.

This list is (as you will have noticed from the title) regarding The Ten Best Music Videos in the World… Ever! (The title inspired by all those compilation albums from the late ’90s – in fact, they’re probably still churning them out).

The reason I’m picking music videos is that, by chance, I was watching MTV and between the irritatingly inane shows they put on, and the endless Rihanna videos, something interesting (and refreshingly pleasant on the ears) came on. Something with a wonderful hand drawn style featuring a superhero fighting squirrels and things to reach the princess in distress. The video is number one on my list (which is actually not in any particular order) and it inspired this little blog entry, so blame it for any boredom caused for this post.

It’s worth saying that I’ve been a fan of music videos ever since I got MTV2 a long time ago (in the good old days before it turned into the channel for Shit American Rock), so I know my Michel Gondry from my Chris Cunningham. There are many, many wonderful music videos around (and really, the top ten directors would have been more appropriate since so many are consistently fantastic) but leave any comments if you think I’ve missed out something really amazing.

1. Coldplay “Strawberry Swing” directed by Shynola. View on YouTube
This the first Coldplay video I’ve loved. The others have been okay, but either linked to a damn durge of a song (The Scientist) or just a bit too odd for their own good (Don’t Panic). The basic concept is that Chris Martin is a superhero on a background drawn, with chalk, on a pavement. Obviously this kind of effect could have been achieved in a computer but it seems Shynola actually hand-drew the damn thing with Chris Martin balancing/laying/hand-standing for each frame – I imagine having to wait for the artists to finish each drawing. To someone lacking patience like myself (I love animation but really, it’s boring as hell doing it frame by frame – see this fantastic Fast Show sketch) this makes Chris Martin an absolute star in my books (as if the rest of the world didn’t already consider himself one).

As for the song itself, I didn’t actually think much of it when I first listened to the album (to the point where, on seeing the video, I wondered whether it was even on an album) but now, I listen to it on an almost daily basis.

Users on YouTube obviously love it as well… “this is the most coolest video i have ever seen” is one of the more insightful comments.

It’s a rare but wonderful thing when a music video makes you like a song even more – or even to notice it at all. It doesn’t happen very often, but when it does it makes for a great experience. You’re able to listen to the song at any time and, even if the lyrics don’t connect specifically with you or if they are too abstract in the song to relate to anything, being reminded of the video makes it much more visual. It’s like a soundtrack album to a movie but in reverse, I’ve listened to The Shawshank Redemption soundtrack countless times, and it always evokes memories of the film (which is my favourite by the way – I’m sure I’ll do a ten ten movies as well some time…)

The talented artists behind this video are called Shynola who created the wonderful animations for The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (one of the better things about the film) along with countless other videos – their best listed below, check ‘em out as they say in the States.

• Blur “Good Song” – Drawings by my favourite cartoonist, David Shrigley, animated – again, making an otherwise fairly pedestrian song come to life in what I think is the funniest music video I’ve ever seen, although I appreciate it’s not to everyone’s taste. View on YouTube

• UNKLE “Eye for an Eye” – An amazing video about cute little things running around their happy place being duped into drinking from giant nipples by an evil race of wasp things that then assimilate them all and take over their land. A thinly veiled political comment about the way the West come in, guns blazing, promising a better life and leave having destroyed everything. Well, I think that’s what it’s about anyway. It’s an amazing song and I bought the album because of this, which is lucky because it was, in my view, the best album of that year. View on YouTube

• Junior Senior “Move Your Feet” – I’m of the Commodore 64 generation, so anything with pixel graphics gets my vote, and it doesn’t get any better than this. It’s a crazy song (let’s face it – gay as cheese) and sounds like Terence and Philip from South Park singing, but it fits the video perfectly. As before, I bought the album after this, which is why I refuse to put this video in the overall Top Ten; the album is beyond terrible. View on YouTube

2. Radiohead “Street Spirit (Fade Out)” directed by Jonathan Glazer. View on YouTube
In those good old days on MTV2 that I spoke about with tear-filled nostalgic eyes earlier, this video was one of the most shown – with good reason. It’s a great song for a start. I’m not a massive Radiohead fan (I think they’re vastly overrated) but this one is tortured, weird and has a great tune.

The video ticks several boxes for me:

It’s in black and white (almost everything looks better in black and white); it has bits that are slowed down; bits that speed up; jumping nuns; locusts flying in slow motion; evil dogs; Thom Yorke looking weird; band member, Jonny Greenwood looking like a woman (many women would kill for his figure); glass smashing and someone falling over on their chair.

It’s put together with so much style that you can forgive them for what I imagine amounts to just a ‘brainstorming’ session where they thought “would would look cool slowed down in black and white”.

I’m sure there are many more videos considered better than this but this just sticks with me far more than most, I think due to its haunting nature and probably just that it’s, in my opinion, Radiohead’s best song.

The director is top of his class with a string of fantastic videos to his name. He also directed the wonderful film, Sexy Beast, which, if you haven’t seen, needs to be watched as soon as you can; Ben Kingsley should have gotten an Oscar for it. If that wasn’t enough, he’s the man behind the Guinness ad with the horses in the sea, the Sony Bravia ad with the exploding towerblocks of paint and the Levi’s ad with the emaciated boy and girl jumping through walls in order to reach space (apparently the most expensive advert ever at the time).

Other great videos by Jonathan Glazer:

• Jamiroquai “Virtual Insanity” – The irritatingly popular Jay Kay prances about with his stupid hat while the furniture moves around. Very cleverly done (albeit quite simple when you know how) and an example of a really good pop video, which is quite a rarity. View on YouTube

• UNKLE “Rabbit in Your Headlights” – A scruffy man walking down a tunnel, mumbling to himself, getting hit by cars. I’ve no idea what he’s thinking about (I read that he’s trying to work out the meaning of life) but the ending is spectacular. View on YouTube

3. Bjork “All is Full of Love” directed by Chris Cunningham. View on YouTube
This is one of the first videos (I think) released as a DVD single and it was the perfect video for the format. It’s stark and fascinating (like Bjork herself I suppose) and manages to be beautifully classy, despite the ridiculous premise (two robots, both with Bjork’s face, ‘get jiggy with it’ whilst robot arms prod them and cover them with something suspiciously milky and white).

The director, Chris Cunningham, has a something of a midas touch giving all his work a strange, sometimes scary, stylish as hell look that must be damn difficult to do.

In an ideal world, he’d direct an Alien film. Maybe one day…

Two of his other videos for you to look at (do a Google search for his others – they’re all great):

• Madonna “Frozen” – I think it’s Madonna’s best video. Not much happens, she’s a bit goth, she’s in the desert, there’s a black dog… but it’s a great song and it gives me a warm fuzzy feeling seeing Madonna grown-up, sensible, and not jumping around in a leotard telling people they’re ‘motherfuckers’ and pretending to be twenty again. View on YouTube

• Aphex Twin “Windowlicker” – One of life’s great annoyances for me (proving I don’t have too many) is that music as God-awful as Aphex Twin gets to have a decent video to go with it. This video is wonderfully stylish, funny, strange, freaky and deserves mention because it highlights the ridiculous conventions set in rap videos where some idiots ogle girls in bikinis. This video is the antithesis of The Thong Song. View on YouTube

4. A-Ha “Take on Me” directed by Steve Barron View on YouTube
Given my love of animation and ’80s music, it’s no big surprise that this is in my list and I think most people of my age remember this video very vividly (even down to the “Nice Cold Ice Cold Milk” poster in the cafe that haunted my youth in the school canteen).

Looking back, the video is extremely cheesy but the animation is so well done it’s easy to forgive it. I also wish they’d resisted the temptation to shoehorn the rest of the band into the video using crappy footage of them playing their instruments against a suitably ‘comic book’ style background. (The same problems haunt videos these days as well – it’s so much better when a band’s ego-driven demand to feature in the video doesn’t get in the way).

The director was very successful during this period, working on loads of other memorable videos but none were really as innovative as Take on Me.

5. The BPA “Toe Jam” directed by Keith Schofield View on YouTube
The BPA (or Brighton Port Authority) is a Fat Boy Slim (aka Norman Cook) project and this, the first release, comes with a fantastically inventive video.

To explain it would ruin the joke of it, so just watch and smile…

6. The White Stripes “Fell in Love with a Girl” directed by Michel Gondry View on YouTube
When I was young (here he goes again with nostalgia) I loved Lego and animated little things with it as well. I imagine the director, Michel Gondry, did the same when he was growing up since this video (like most of his actually) has a whimsical quality.

It’s a video comprised solely of animated Lego blocks. People swimming, the band singing and playing their instruments, running – everything damn difficult to animate anyway, especially in Lego.

Michel Gondry has a knack for doing really complex things (‘high concept’ should be his middle name), as his other videos prove even further. He’s now mainly doing feature films (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind being one) which is a shame as I think his ideas suit a short running time much better.

More of his videos:

• Kylie Minogue “Come Into My World” – Kylie must have gotten dizzy making this video; several versions of her walk around several times in a circle. I have no idea how he co-ordinated a shoot like this but it’s wonderfully done. View on YouTube

• Massive Attack “Protection” – A great video with the camera moving into different windows of a big house. It doesn’t sound exciting and, well, it isn’t really, but it’s a great video. View on YouTube

• Bjork “Bachelorette” – Difficult to describe, this video starts with a story being told and then a theatre production based on that story played out within it. Just watch it, it’s fantastic. View on YouTube

7. Blur “Coffee & TV” directed by Hammer & Tongs View on YouTube
Like Shynola, Hammer & Tongs are another group of talented chaps that have worked on many videos and they all (well, the ones I’ve seen) tend to have a humourous slant which defines their style.

Coffee & TV is the tale of a little milk carton that goes off on a little quest to find a missing person. It’s the kind of video that appeals to everyone; it’s funny, cute and there’s even a bit of emotion in there as well for the kind of people that cry over spilt milk.

They’re now doing feature films as well. Their first, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy was good, but flawed. Their latest – Son of Rambow – is supposed to be very good but I’ve not seen it yet unfortunately.

Hammer & Tongs have worked on many great videos, but two of my other favourites are below:

• REM “Imitation of Life” – Worth watching for Michael Stipe’s interesting dance moves as well as the technical cleverness involved. It’s a piece of camcorder footage that keeps running forward, then backwards for twenty seconds at a time – we zoom into parts of the video to see details. A tough one to explain, but worth watching, and it’s a nice little tune! View on Spike (I couldn’t find a version on YouTube with audio)

• Fatboy Slim “Right Here, Right Now” – Evolution squeezed into 3:30 minutes with a great social comment at the end. Well, I think it’s meant like that anyway, or it’s just that they wanted to end with the guy from the album cover. View on YouTube

8. David Bowie “Ashes to Ashes” directed by David Mallet View on YouTube
It makes no bloody sense at all, but it’s an example of a really inventive video when music videos were still very ‘new’ (it was back in 1983 – MTV had only been around a couple of years at that point. It was also was less shit than now). I think it was the most expensive video ever at the time due to its use of the fancy video effects (things we can all do on an iPhone these days with the correct app).

Director, David Mallet, directed loads of rock videos (specialising on Queen and AC/DC, strangely) but this is, I think, his most famous.

Of all these videos, it’s probably the one you’ll disagree with the most. “It looks crap”, mate, “You’re getting nostalgic and losing your sense of style.” But, there’s just something about it that I love. I’m not a big David Bowie fan particularly, but there’s something wonderful about him walking down the beach dressed like an idiot with an old woman wagging her finger at him (and telling him not to trust Major Tom).

9. Michael Jackson “Thriller” directed by John Landis View on YouTube
I include this video a little reluctantly as every damn list of “best music videos ever” has this in it, but it really has to be. I’m not a fan of musicals (I turned Chicago off after the DVD menu) but there’s something mesmerising about a really great piece of choreography.

There’s also the fact that this music video was an ‘event’. I was too young to remember it at the time but enough people have told me how they stayed up late to watch it to make me think that perhaps it was more of a big deal than we can appreciate these days. The Internet has ruined things a bit really… we don’t have ‘events’ any more, do we?

Anyway, the director’s other films include American Werewolf in London (that qualified him to make Thriller really), Trading Places and Coming to America so that makes him damn good in my book.

10. Massive Attack “Teardrop” directed by Walter Stern View on YouTube
God knows how a video comprised entirely of a foetus singing can be so good, but it really is.

The director is another fairly prolific one, working on videos for Prodigy, David Bowie, Madonna and INXS as well as another two for Massive Attack.

Another of his videos:

• Verve “Bitter Sweet Symphony” A riff on Massive Attack’s video for Unfinished Sympathy, this was the video that, thanks to Richard Ashcroft walking down the road like an arrogant bastard, helped launch Verve into the public eye when we already had arrogant bastards, Oasis. View on YouTube

So, that’s it.

You’ll have noticed that I’ve cheated a little bit by including other videos from some of the directors (making the list far more than just ten) but I don’t care, it’s my list, I can do what I want with it.

There are, however, some other videos I’ve not mentioned that I feel I should for various reasons – those are listed below. Have a look at all of them if you find the time!

Leftfield “Swords” View on YouTube
Summary: A bunch of people in cars, singing along to a chilled out track. I find it mesmerising.

Fatboy Slim “Weapon of Choice” View on YouTube
It’s Christopher Walken. Dancing. Nothing more needs to be said.

Supermen Lovers “Starlight” View on YouTube
Traditionally, 3D animation tends to be quite slick but here the animator has gone at great lengths to make the characters as ugly as possible. It’s a great little story and strangely emotional at the end!

Elbow “One Day Like This” View on YouTube
I’m including this partly because the song is wonderful but also because I think the video is so strange. It doesn’t match the lyrics at all but just focuses on one guy finding joy doing a mundane job. Beautiful.

Nizlopi “JCB” View on YouTube
A wonderfully nostalgic little song with a video to match.

Super Furry Animals “It’s Not the End of the World?” View on YouTube
Another great piece of 3D animation.

Pet Shop Boys “I’m With Stupid” View on YouTube
I’ve never been a fan of the Pet Shop Boys’ videos, but this one is great since it’s the guys from Little Britain doing a terrible (yet accurate) impression of Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe.

Peter Gabriel “Sledgehammer” View on YouTube
Most ‘top video’ lists include this at a high position because it was groundbreaking (and it marked the arrival of Aardman Animation – the makers of Wallace and Gromit). It is a very clever video, and perhaps the Coldplay video I mentioned at the beginning of the list wouldn’t have existed were it not for this. Oh, and it’s about shagging, but you knew that…

Definitely not on any of my lists:

Queen “Bohemian Rhapsody” Don’t View on YouTube
Just plain awful.

I hope you liked this list and feel free to write a comment challenging me on any of my picks. I’m sure I’ve left out some great videos, so tell me and I’ll be happy to rethink any of the ones above if you prove that I’m wrong in some way.

Ruszyło Sacrum Profanum. W wielkiej hali hutniczej ocynowni The Cinematic Orchestra przyjęci jak wielka gwiazda. Zbyt pochopne to standing ovation, choć trzeba przyznać, że przynudzali miło. Szczególnie w rozimprowizowanych partiach bisów.

Chris Cunningham zgwałcił mnie przez oczy i uszy, ale na kolana nie posłał. Sprawny, efektowny, mało odkrywczy. Będę miał koszmary. Najpewniej nagi, cycaty Hitler z wodogłowiem.

Bardziej jednak przeraża mnie to, że jesień się zaczęła.

Inauguro la sección Personalidades con esta entrada. En mi nueva categoría escribiré, como es de esperar, sobre gente. Gente, viva o muerta, con una vida u obra interesante y digna de expectación o, lo que será más probable, gente con una personalidad excéntrica que me atraiga especialmente.

Aun a riesgo de parecer (y ser) repetitiva, hoy escribiré sobre Chris Cunningham. Los que me conozcan lo más mínimo sabrán de mi admiración por este señor y sabrán que he hablado sobre él en otras ocasiones. No obstante, sentía que a este blog le faltaba un componente esencial sin un post hablando sobre este hombre.

Chris Cunningham es un “director de cosas audiovisuales”, un artista o un loco; según quién se fije en él. Para mí es las tres cosas.

Nació en Reading (Inglaterra) en 1970. Desde muy pequeñajo se aficionó al dibujo, más tarde a hacer esculturas, a las cuales fotografiaba. Su carrera artística la inició en la revista de cómics 2000AD bajo el pseudónimo de Chris Halls (me gustaría saber qué publicaba, pero no lo he encontrado por ningún lado :/). Más tarde trabajó en los efectos especiales de películas como Alien 3, Alien: Resurrección (¿en España es Resurrection o Resurrección?) y alguna que otra más. También estuvo involucrado en el proyecto de la película Inteligencia artificial cuando Stanley Kubrick se ocupaba del mismo.

Chris Cunningham ha rodado diversos anuncios (¡me encantan los anuncios!), entre ellos uno de los que más me ha gustado en la vida: Mental Wealth, el spot de PlayStation de hace unos buenos años. El resto de la publicidad que ha hecho creo que no ha sido emitida en España, quizá por el fracaso de Mental Wealth. Aquí tenéis un anuncio (buenísimo) de una campaña para Levi’s. También ha hecho spots para Nissan o BMW, pero no los pongo aquí para no petar esto de links que no va a mirar ni el tato.

Y videoclips. Por la vía del videoclip fue por la que yo conocí a este director. Porque Cunningham+Videoclip=Aphex Twin. Sus vídeos tienen ese algo que hace que no pueda dejar de verlos cada cierto tiempo (hablo sobre todo de Windowlicker y Come to Daddy). También ha dirigido videoclips para gente como Madonna, Squarepusher, Placebo o Björk.

Iba a irme ya, pero no podía hacerlo sin antes mencionar a Rubber Johnny. No diré nada más de él.

Y para terminar, tres links más: IMDB, El Mundo y Art Futura.

Que Alekséi sea con vosotros, camaradas.

Björk - All Is Full Of Love

Blisko 40-letni mistrz mrocznych teledysków, miał początkowo inaczej zaplanowaną przyszłość. Młody Chris miał zostać ogrodnikiem w rodzimym Reading. Taką to karierę wybrali dla niego rodzice. Jednak emitowany w tamtym czasie w telewizji serial science-fiction Alana Levina ,,Bionic Showdown” wywrócił świat Cunninghama do góry nogami. W jednym z odcinków pojawiły się kobiety-roboty, od tego momentu w brytyjczyku narodziła się wręcz obsesja na punkcie idealnego połączenia anatomii człowieka i konstrukcji maszyny, której upust dał po latach w teledysku do piosenki Bjork ,,All is Full of Love”. Nim jednak do tego doszło chłopak zamykał się w garażu rzeźbiąc groteskowe postacie i czytając magazyny pornograficzne, pielęgnując w sobie  tym samym paranoiczne skłonności. Co sam zresztą przyznaje: ,,Z okresu bycia nastolatkiem pamiętam tylko roboty i pornografię. Byłem naprawdę stuknięty”.

Chris Cunningham

Impuls do wyrwania się z miasteczka nad Tamizą już był. Któregoś pięknego dnia Chris zrobił sobie dzień wolny od szkoły i udał się ze swoim portfolio do Pinewood Studios. Tam to Clive Baker kręcił jeden ze swoich niskobudżetowych horrorów. Chris został przyjęty do ekipy od efektów specjalnych, z którą pracował przez kolejne dwa lata. Następne zawodowe doświadczenie zdobywał już w tygodniku ,,2000 AD”, publikując tam komiksy własnego autorstwa. Już jako 19-latek Cunningham pracował przy efektach specjalnych do filmu ,,Obcy 3″ w reżyserii Davida Finchera. Potem swoimi cybernetycznymi projektami wspomógł produkcję kolejnej odsłony Obcego i ,,Sędziego Dredda”. Wszystkie te sukcesy sprawiły, że zainteresował się nim sam Stanley Kubrick angażując do pomocy przy efektach do ,,A.I. Sztuczna inteligencja”. Niestety twórca ekranizacji ,,Mechanicznej Pomarańczy” zmarł, a prawa do dokończenia filmu przejął Steven Spielberg niedecydując się na zaangażowanie Cunnighama.

Mniej więcej właśnie w tym czasie przyszły twórca wideoklipów zaczął popadać w depresję wynikającą z rozczarowania przemysłem filmowym. ,,Nie byłem szczęśliwy. Zacząłem słuchać dużo muzyki Aphex Twin i brałem kwas. W pewien sposób rozwinęło mnie to jako reżysera. W mojej głowie pojawiały się różne obrazy.” Wszystko to złożyło się na współpracę obu panów. Aphex Twin, a właściwie Richard David James, zaproponował Cunnighamowi posadę reżysera teledysku do jego kawałka ,,Come To Daddy”. Klip ukazał się w 1997 roku i jest jednym z największych osiągnięć reżysera, który za cel przy kręceniu obrazu postawił sobie zrobienie najlepszego video na jakie go stać. ,,Zakładałem, że wszyscy myślą, że jestem do niczego. Pomyślałem więc: ja wam kurwa pokażę”. Przerażająca wizja świata zawładniętego przez dziwnego potwora z telewizora miała być alegorią rzeczywistego stanu świata. Od tego momentu o ekscentryku z Reading zrobiło się głośno.

Kolejnym ważnym klipem w videografii niedoszłego ogrodnika był obraz do ,,Only You” brytyjskiej trip-hopowej formacji Portishead. Krótki film jest realizacją sennej wizji reżysera, któremu jako dziecko często śnił się spacer główną ulicą miasta i powracające uczucie bycia pod wodą. ,,W tych snach wydawało mi się, że stoję na dnie morza a nad sobą widzę powierzchnię i chcę jak najszybciej wypłynąć”. Teledysk kręcono pod wodą co przyniosło ekipie filmowej sporo problemów. Mimo tego, to jedno z ulubionych dzieł Cunnighama.

Jeszcze w tym samym roku, dostał zlecenie od Madonny na nakręcenie teledysku do jej piosenki ,,Frozen”. Twórca nie zbyt miło wspomina tą współpracę: ,,Od samego początku wszystko było skazane na niepowodzenie. Czułem się ograniczony artystycznie”. Ponadto na pustyni Mojave, gdzie kręcony był klip, przez pierwsze dwa dni padało. Kłóciło się to z wizją Chrisa. Sama blondwłosa królowa popu, która w teledysku zmienia się raczej w mistyczną czarownicę o kruczoczarnych włosach, była na tyle dobrze chroniona, że aby reżyser mógł wydać polecenie kamerzyście musiał wcześniej ,,przejść” przez sześć innych osób, co skutecznie utrudniało prace. Efekt końcowy został jednak dobrze przyjęty przez krytykę.

Propozycje współpracy sypały się dalej. Cunnigham zrealizował takie klipy jak ,,Come On My Selector” Squarepushera wyrosły z miłości do azjatyckich animacji, ,,Windowlicker” Aphex Twina- z fascynacji hip-hopową stylistyką czy też szczególnie kontrowersyjny ,,Rubber Johnny” również Aphex Twina, o którym autor mówi, że to ,,kreskówka dla ludzi wychowanych na przemocy ekranowej”. Przed tym wszystkim jednak Chris zrealizował swoje opus magnum czyli ,,All is Full of Love” Bjork. Koncepcję teledysku można opisać bardzop prosto- jest to miłosna historia dwójki robotów opowiedziana od tyłu. Cunnigham zadbał o każdy szczegół. Sam zaprojektował modele maszyn, a ich wykonanie powierzył Paulowi Catlingowi, który jest mentorem reżysera jeśli chodzi o tworzenie modeli do filmów. Ten krótki film jest częścią stałej kolekcji prestiżowego Museum of Modern Art w Nowym Yorku i Royal Academy of Arts w Londynie. Takie wyróżnienie zastanawia reżysera: ,,Zawsze mnie dziwi gdy ktoś mówi, że widział moje filmy. No bo niby gdzie? Zawsze są cenzurowane albo w ogóle nie są pokazywane”.

W 2005 roku mistrz synchronizacji obrazu z dźwiękiem zamilkł. Ostatnim dziełem jakie stworzył była miniatura do piosenki “Sheena Is A Parasite” zespołu The Horrors. Od czasu do czasu realizował reklamy, aby świat o nim nie zapomniał. Nie były to jednak byle jakie reklamy. Tworzył dla takich gigantów jak Sony, Levis, Nissan czy Gucci, którzy gwarantowali mu swobodę artystyczną. Choć, jak sam przyznaje, nie był to szczyt jego oczekiwań: ,,Czuję się winny za każdym razem gdy kręcę reklamę, bo chcę zachować te obrazy i pomysły dla siebie”. W między czasie planował nakręcić film ,,Neuromancer” na podstawie powieści Williama Gibsona, zrezygnował jednak z tego pomysłu, twierdząc, że chciałby reżyserować wyłącznie filmy oparte na własnym scenariuszu.

Obecnie artysta skupia się na wystawianiu swojego audiowizualnego live show. To prezentacja niewydanych wcześniej prac video i audio, składających się na nowy, dynamicznie tworzony na żywo projekt, wyświetlany jednocześnie na 3 ekranach. W czasie pokazu Cunnigham oprowadza widzów po mrocznym, chorym świecie swoich fantazji.

Co przyniesie przyszłość? Po Cunnighamie, który lubi znikać i pojawiać się z mnóstwem nowych pokręconych rzeczy można spodziewać się wszystkiego. ,,Jestem zbyt niespokojny by robić tylko klipy, chcę aby moje prace były trochę bardziej multimedialne”. Czekamy z niecierpliwością… genialny psycholu.

Robert Skowroński

Od 8 września przez cztery dni na stronie Festiwalu Sacrum Profanum pojawiać się będą po dwa pytania dziennie dotyczące koncertów festiwalu zaplanowanych na poszczególne jego wieczory.

Codziennie, pierwszych pięć osób, które udzieli poprawnej odpowiedzi na jedno z pytań, otrzyma od nas podwójne zaproszenie na koncert, którego dotyczyło pytanie. Bilety można będzie odebrać w Galerii Kazimierz w Krakowie 12 - 14 września.

So, I’m going to bend a rule tonight in the service of addressing (and hopefully discussing) larger issues with race and gender: talk about a dude’s work. But I’ve been sitting on my hands for a while thinking about the music videos that will be the focus of this post and how they depict people of color, specifically black women, so let’s get to it.

Eric Wareheim, for those who may not know, is the “Eric” of Adult Swim staple Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! It’s a highly irreverent, deliberately low-budget and ugly-looking sketch comedy show that might not even call itself as such. It’s also really funny. For further reading on the subject, I suggest my friend Evan’s great job Flow column. I’ll also point you in the direction of Jeff Sconce’s piece on recurring characters The Beaver Boys, a piece Evan also cites.

But Wareheim also directs music videos, usually bringing his lo-fi, ironic, discomforting approach to these projects. Two such clips make me really uncomfortable (these clips are NSFW).

The first video is Major Lazer’s “Pon De Floor,” which came out earlier this summer. Admittedly, I know very little about whether or not the sexually graphic nature of the dancing is in any way a reflection of the culture and the personnel who put this together (Diplo and Switch of Major Lazer recorded their debut, Guns Don’t Kill People . . . Lazers Do in Jamaica; this is also where guest rapper Vybz Kartel comes from). But I feel oogy about the unveiled metaphor of dance as sex, what it might mean to have black (heterosexually coupled) bodies as spectacle, how those bodies are depicted and objectified, what staid notions about black female sexuality might be enforced, and what sex positions are privileged (lots of doggy-style). Add to this the lo-fi, day-glo excess of the video’s environment and the music video seems to be endorsing racist notions of primitivism, social immobility, and sexual insatiability.

When you add animation, issues of disembodiment, cheap clothes, fat bodies, and explicit sex scenes to all of this, as Wareheim did last year with his video for Flying Lotus’s “Parisian Goldfish” (which Pitchfork just dubbed the 50th greatest video of the decade), things get ickier. 

Now, I’m not trying to suggest that it’s bad for black people to have sexual appetites, nor am I trying to suggest similar restrictions on fat women (really, I’m not proposing these sanctions on any person). In fact, I think we need more overtly (and complexly) sexual fat women of all races and ethnicities in media culture. If they’re on top, so much the better.

But it seems a really queasy thing to spectacularize black heterosexuality and manipulate the bodies of black dancers and actors in such a baldly grotesque manner for a music video. It seems especially queasy when the person pulling the strings, pointing the camera, and in Wareheim’s case, putting together the animation sequences is a white guy.

Admittedly, director Chris Cunningham covered equally murky territory with his clip for Aphex Twin’s “Windowlicker,” but it seemed there was a critique being made against mainstream hip hop’s preoccupations with materialism, misogyny, and female objectification.

I hasten to add that this critique also comes from a white guy making a music video for a white guy. I’d be far more interested in seeing more subtle, nuanced critiques about race, gender, and hip hop come from people of color. Thus, I’ll gesture toward Charles Stone III’s clip for The Roots’ “What They Do.” If you know of any smart, awesome female directors who have done similar work, please let me know.

With Wareheim’s work here, I wonder what the critique is. That it’s purposefully uncomfortable? But at what cost and at whose expense? While Wareheim may be working here with black, male and female entertainers and musicians (except Major Lazer, who is made up of two white guys who work with a lot of artists of color from all over world), what is he having them do and what does it mean?

Some Inspiration

Afrika SHox

More info on Chris Cunningham

Winsor McCay vs Chris Cunningham.

Rok 1904, Winsor:

Potem rok 1999, Chris: